WASHINGTON: The United States will allow Chinese airlines to increase US passenger services to 12 weekly round-trips, the Transportation Department (USDOT) said on Wednesday (May 3), equal to the number of flights Beijing has permitted for American carriers.
It is a boost from the eight weekly round-trip flights currently allowed by Chinese carriers and matches what Beijing has permitted for US carriers, but a small fraction of the more than 150 round-trip flights allowed by each side before restrictions were imposed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
USDOT’s order said its goal was “a gradual, broader reopening of the US-China air services market”.China in March reopened its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in the three years after abandoning COVID-related border controls for its own citizens in January.
